Chapter 68: Star Crossed Lovers Part 1

"Do you know the story of Romeo and Juliet?" Daunte questioned. "Yeah...we learned about that story in English class. Though I know that it didn't end very well for the couple. Romeo poisons himself and Juliet drives a dagger through her heart. Not what I would call a wonderful love story at the very least." Yugi admitted. {...Only able to truly be together in death...a tragic tale...} Atem muttered lost in deep thought. His mind going back in time to days of old. Him standing on a balcony looking down at his people. A pair of brown eyes looking back up at him. With a smile as radiant as the sun itself.

Slowly he'd descend from his throne and meet the Nymph of Sparks in the gardens where no one could see them. He held his hand out to her. And she'd take it dancing with him under the moon lit sky. No one existing but just the two of them. Was it so wrong for those in different times and places to love each other? Even now. Would he suffer the same punishment for loving someone in the present instead of the past? He didn't want to lose someone else like he did Daphne ever again.

"Atem?..." Yugi's voice broke through the doubt. {Yes Yugi?} "Uh...it's nothing forget I said anything..." Yugi quickly dismissed. If only he knew what Atem was thinking about right now. "So why choose that story? I'm curious." Yugi asked Daunte. "...Because...that's how Zaloz's Agethrim and Juniper have always been...and how it'll remain as time passes...Black Magic...and White magic are opposites that cannot exist together...at least that's how the Juniperian royal family sees it...Black magic is dark...therefore it is evil...and evil must be purged..." the Black told Yugi.

"That...That's awful..." Yugi shuddered. "Kenshin Sahiro is Mallock's adopted son...his only heir to the Juniperian royal throne...but he doesn't give a shit on how he treats him like trash...beating him day after day...into submission...I can't even count how many wounds he's inflicted inside and out...but the bastard does exactly as he fucking pleases...as long as the A.O.J is backing him...then he believes he holds powers over our family...it's a damn useless power struggle...and Kenshin's caught in the middle of it...his powers are even sealed because his father wants an obedient figure head...it makes me wanna vomit..." Daunte cursed as he bared his teeth in anger.

"Forgive me if this is out of line...but if your families hate each other THAT much then why do you care about the enemy's son?" Yugi questioned. {I'm curious about that as well...} Atem admitted. "...Pipsqueak...you asked me earlier if I had someone worth throwing everything away for...well to me that IS Kenshin Sahiro...though when I first met him I couldn't stand him...he was everything I wasn't...or so I thought anyway...but one day there was a party and a fight broke out between us...I think it was then that we started to see each other in a way that no one had seen us before..."

"I think I can understand." Yugi smiled as he looked at Atem. Atem only smiled back with a wink. "...Can I ask you a few questions?" the Black asked Yugi. "Sure ask away." the scarlet eyed male told Daunte. "Just who are you doing this for? Yourself or someone else?" Yugi looked Daunte in the eye. "A good friend of mine has a Faerie that is sick and he needed to stay with her, so I came instead. After all, she's important to me too and not just me but many others as well...so how's that?" Yugi asked. Daunte only smirked.

"Fair enough Pipsqueak..." the Black muttered. Yugi wished he'd stop calling him that. It was embarrassing enough that he was so short. Well no he HAD gotten a little taller. But not by much. Daunte pretty much towered over him. And to be honest he was REALLY intimidating. "I'll take you through the Abyss Woods...but in exchange, I have a condition." the black began. "Alright.I'm listening..." Yugi "I want you to swear that you'll, in turn, find a way to break the A.O.J's hold on Kenshin. So...do we have ourselves a deal or what?" Daunte muttered. Yugi frowned some as he thought it over and looked towards Atem.

"Hmm, I dunno what do you think? Can we trust him?" Yugi asked the Pharoah. {We have little options available to us...I suggest we agree to his terms for now...} Atem told the scarlet eyed male. "Alright." Yugi nodded and turned back towards Daunte. "I accept Lord Black," Yugi told the brown-haired male. "Good...all I can say is I hope you're ready pipsqueak...it's going to be a damned LONG fricken night for the both of us..." Daunte muttered. Yugi swallowed hard as the Black started to gather supplies just in case of unforeseen accidents. Yugi in return took this time to get in touch with the gang.

Back in Aura...

Kaiba paced back and forth as Bloom rested on the couch. She had fallen asleep shortly after Flora gave her the tea to drink. However, the CEO himself just couldn't relax. DAMN IT! He was the CEO and Owner of Kaiba Corp! He practically ran Domino city! Anything he wanted he could get done without so much as one complaint. But here he was COMPLETLY powerless! "I can't take this!" Kaiba spat angrily as he removed his deck from his duel disk and shuffled the cards before they all scattered amongst the ground. "Isn't there anything I can do? Must I allow Yugi to always handle everything? I hate this..." the blue eyed male slammed his fist against the ground.

"Dude try ta calm down," Joey muttered as he walked into the room. "Beat it, Wheeler..." Kaiba hissed angrily. He was not in the mood. "You're completely losin ya cool man. Dis isn't like da insufferable billionaire narcissistic duelist dat I know! He'd never let anythin keep him down. Sure you're a pain in da ass ta everyone ya know. But beatin yourself up ain't gonna help Bloom any faster. Yug will follow through. He always does. You should know dat better dan anyone. With how many times we, ya know saved da world and all." Joey grinned. Kaiba only stared at Joey. Was he actually trying to cheer him up? Both boys paused as a cell phone went off. Joey rummaged in his pocket and fumbled to answer the phone.

"Hey! It's Yug!" Joey exclaimed. "YUGI!?" Kaiba exclaimed before he grabbed Joey's phone. "Give it to me!" "HEY! BACK OFF KAIBA!" Joey spat as they both began to fight each other for the phone. "Joey what's going on!?" Flora asked as she gasped seeing Kaiba and Joey in the battle of the phone. "I'm warning you Wheeler hand it over!" "NO CHANCE RICHBOY!" Joey fired back. "Guys! Please, there's no need to fight! Be reasonable!" Flora called out to them before she narrowed her eyes as they continued to ignore her. "THAT'S ENOUGH! BINDING VINES!" the faerie of Nature cried as she manifested vines from the ground to wrap and constrict both Joey and Kaiba yanking them off their feet. Duke tried to muffle a chuckle as he witnessed the event.

"WOAH!" Joey cried as Kaiba even was taken by surprise. "This is all your fault! Do something about YOUR flower faerie!" "Oh don't you EVEN start Kaiba!" Joey growled before Flora took the phone from Joey. "Yugi are you there? EVERYONE! YUGI'S ON THE PHONE!" Flora called everyone as they all hurried into the room. "I'm going to put you on speaker." the faerie informed Yugi and pressed the button on the screen. "Wait, Flora! Digital Projection Essense!" Techna cried as she shot a beam into Joey's phone. Slowly Yugi's image appeared before them. "Woah! I didn't know meh phone could do dat!" the blonde's eyes widened.

"Can you hear me, alright guys?" Yugi questioned. "Yes, we can go ahead," Layla assured him. "Well the good news is that Daunte has agreed to help me...which would be great...but this task...is going to be more dangerous than I thought it would be...I have to go through a dark and treacherous forest...it's the fastest way to get where the physician is...and sneaking him into Aura will be no small task either...so it's going to be FAR from easy..." Yugi told the party.

"STAY STRONG YUG!" Joey yelled out as his hazel eyes glisten with determination. "WE'RE BEHIND YA ALL DA WAY BUD! Even though we're not dare...EVERYONE shares da same feelins! I know they do!" Joey told Yugi. "...Joey..." Yugi murmured softly. "YUGI!" Kaiba's voice interrupted. Everyone paused as their gaze turned towards the CEO. "You better make it back in one piece...we still haven't settled our score on whom truly deserves the title of the King Of Games...i'm not letting YOU off THAT easily...count on it..." Kaiba muttered as he looked Yugi in the eye.

"I'll keep that in mind." Yugi half chuckled. "...Atem...look after your partner...make sure he doesn't do anything TOO reckless..." Kaiba told the Pharoah. {Of course Seto} Atem murmured. "And in the meantime, we'll take care of Bloom!" Layla exclaimed. "So just focus on getting back here with all your limbs preferably." the darkly skinned faerie teased. Roxy only frowned. "Isn't there ANYTHING we can do?" the faerie of animals asked. "...No..." Marik muttered as he narrowed his eyes. "This trial is something little Yugi must overcome himself..." the Tombkeeper muttered before Raeger slowly walked over to Yugi.

"The Abyss forest Is full of peril...so I advise you to proceed lightly and do not linger," Raeger told Yugi. "Hey! I have a fantabulous idea! For extra protection let's cast a protection spell! What do you say, girls!?" Stella asked the Winx. "I think that's an excellent idea, Stella!" Musa exclaimed before all of the girls formed a circle and held his hands. "Focus all of your magic on Yugi...WINX CELESTIX CONVERGENCE!" the girls cried out as aura swirled all around them and focused its effects on the scarlet eyed male creating a special pendant around his neck.

"Wow..." Yugi's eyes widened. "Aw how cute...he's wearing jewelry..." Nanala teased as Yugi's cheeks reddened some. "Well i'm not sure if it'll work but it's definitely worth a shot," Froste admitted. "Something tells me he'll be just fine. With everyone's powers supporting them who COULD lose ya?" Cupid offered a smile. "Yeah, as long as the little guy can run fast he should be ok." Xuri teased softly. "Only YOU would be so calm in a situation like this." Bright sighed before Yugi spoke up. "Sorry guys but I have to go...thanks for everything. I'll let you know how things progress. Ok, later guys!" Yugi offered a smile before Daunte finished packing.

Yugi turned off his phone and let out a heavy sigh. {Are you alright Yugi?} Atem asked his other half. "Yeah...I HAVE to be..." Yugi told the Pharoah. Atem nodded with a reassuring smile. {And I will be with you every step of the way. Together we will bring Kenshin back to Aura.} The scarlet eyed male smiled back. "I know...thank you Atem..." Yugi murmured softly as their eyes locked each gazing into the others."ACHEM!" Daunte cleared his throat. "Oh! Sorry..." Yugi squeaked as his cheeks reddened. Atem only chuckled softly. Without any other words to be said the Black held out a bottle of wine.

"Uh..." Yugi began. "A gift. If you're gonna ask for Kenshin's help it's best to present him with wine." "Good to know." Yugi murmured softly and placed the wine in his small pack compliments of Daunte. He had an extra one readied for him. "Alright follow me pipsqueak..." Daunte urged the scarlet eyed male. He took him out of the castle and to an entrance of a dark and eerie woods. The trees were pitch black with the leaves as purple as the sky above them. A frigid wind blew against Yugi and Daunte almost as beckoning them to enter.

Meanwhile Back In Aura...

A crow flew over the blue skies of Aura and entered a small broken glass window in which the abandoned castle stood on an isolated hill. Inside the castle was only darkness accompanied by spider webs weaved throughout the empty halls. Tomes were piled high though worn with age. Ogron and the Wizards Of The Black Circle accompanied by Bakura all sat among them. In but a moment Dumon landed before them turning back into his human form.

"Well Well! Look who's returned! So What do you have to report Dumon?" Ogron mused as he filled his cup with cold ale passing it around. "It seems ya favorite Faerie Ogron got erself sick. Now everyone's tryin ta make er betta and whatnot. Even da runt's gone off ta bloody Zaloz ta find some docta...it's ridiculous really how much dare worked up..." Dumon muttered. A grin slowly manifested upon Ogron's face.

"You don't say? Hmm, I wonder what HAS happened to our little Faerie...but right now our priority is The blonde Prince...the OH so noble Knight of Aura! Defender of the weak!" the wizard mocked. "So Ogron what's the plan?" Anagan questioned. "We poisoned the fountain...but that ONE vampire is STILL alive" "Yes but the half breed doesn't seem to have many fans around these parts..." Gantlos continued. "It'd be easy to get rid of him if we made the vampire appear as a threat to Aura's beloved Prince Bright..." he grinned. "Hmm, not a bad idea at all..." Ogron admitted. Bakura slowly stood up as his gaze darkened.

"Why don't you allow ME to handle such a task? Bakura mused with a broadened grin on his face laughing. "What better time to strike whilst they're all filled with worry and fear ...as long as darkness exsists...so shall the one whom rules over the night..." Bakura grinned before he turned towards Dumon. "I'll just borrow your unique ability..." Bakura muttered and drew out of him a portion of his power absorbing it into himself. Dumon only stared at Bakura in disbelief before the snow haired male vanished from his sight. "Are we just gonna let him leave?" Anagan questioned. "Gentlemen...the time will come when we can have our fun...just sit back and enjoy the show!" Ogron told the Wizards with a smirk.

"Ugh! I can't take it anymore! It's too damn stuffy in here!" Xuri exclaimed as he left the castle. Until Yugi returned he didn't believe anyone was going to calm down anytime soon. The vampire was met with glares as sharp as daggers Bakura manifesting among them. There was so much hatred that poured out from the crowd. It was simply invigorating. "Heh...geesh no one cuts me a break, do they? They all LOVE Bright but they HATE me..." Xuri dryly chuckled to himself as he continued walking until he stopped at the large Cherry Blossom tree. It's petals falling slowly down upon him.

The vampire climbed up to the very top branch of the Sakura and sat there looking below from above and out into the clear blue sky. The wind blowing gently against him. "There we go! A little fresh air!" he stretched his arms out. "YEP! Even after all these years...it's still my favorite spot..." a ghost of a smile manifested upon Xuri's face. Bakura kept his gaze on the vampire before he transfigured into Bright. "I thought i'd find you up here..." the Prince's voice echoed in Xuri's ears.

"Geesh Xuri...you REALLY should stop running off like that." Bright scolded. "Heh, my bad. old habits die hard." the vampire offered a grin. "I see that." the prince mused. "Well, we're probably BOTH a bit on edge with everything going on aren't we?" Xuri sighed. "Now that you mention it..." Bright murmured. "...Do you remember when we used to Spar back in the old days?" the prince asked the vampire. "How could I forget?" Xuri offered a smile. "Just don't forget who won all of those matches." the vampire's smile twisted into a mischievous grin. "Heh Shall we?" "HELL YEAH!" Xuri jumped from the tree and landed next to Bright.

"Just don't expect me to go easy on you because we're friends," Bright warned. "Perish the thought." the vampire teased as they both drew their blades. Both of them clashed steel against steel. Xuri easily parrying the Prince's strikes countering with his own swift movements. Each battling pushing against the other's sword. "As always! You're just as strong as ever Xuri!" Bright huffed as sweat beat down his face.

"You too, good to know you're princely duties haven't weakened your hands..." Xuri teased. "I take it your resolve hasn't wavered a bit either! Still, a hard headed prince who believes he can save the world! "Yeah, and you're as reckless as ever..." Bright grinned. "Heh you haven't changed one bit...i'm glad..." the vampire smiled sweetly. "I only wish I could say the same about you...Xuri..." Bright muttered darkly. The vampire paused as he looked at the Prince in bewilderment.

"You think I've changed?..." Xuri asked Bright almost in a whisper with a hurt lingering in his voice. "We've been friends since we were children...it's true...but my duty is to my people first and foremost...and, unfortunately, I can't defend one who murders in cold blood..." "...What the hell are you talking about Bright?" the vampire asked as he narrowed his eyes. "It's no use pretending Xuri! You poisoned Dawnshire's fountain and killed all of those that cursed your very existence! That's the only reason why YOU remain alive...isn't that right old friend...?" the prince muttered as venom dripped off his every word.

"...You're kidding right...? This is just a joke. Man! You really had me goin-" Xuri's voice was cut off as he felt Bright's blade impaled into the middle of his chest. "B...Bright...?" the vampire gasped as blood seeped out from the sides of his mouth. "GUARDS! TAKE THIS TRAITOR AWAY...to Requiem Prison...where'll never see the light of day ever again...consider that mercy...for being my childhood friend..." Bright muttered as he turned his back on him. Xuri struggled to reach out to the Prince as the Knight's grabbed him and forced him through the crowd. Slowly everything went dark. Just barely King Oritel rode up upon the scene. Only able to watch in disbelief. "That's not the Bright I know..." Oritel narrowed his eyes and strode his steed forward to follow the Knight's towards Aura's shipyard.

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